Broken
by Rosimae
Summary: Five times Jack had to fix his staff, and the one time he didn't need to.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Okay, so this is a little plot bunny that I simply could not get out of my head. I've tried to tell it a million times that I have four tests to study for, along with final projects to complete, but alas, it would not leave me alone. _

_I blame the fact that I am now obsessed with this movie. It was just awesome!_

_Anyways, while watching it for like, the third time (and ignoring the fact that yes, I do have 4 tests to study for and take in the next few days), I got to wondering. Jack figured out how to fix his staff pretty quickly after Pitch snapped it. _

_So, this is my explanation for it. I've never done a 5:1 story before, so we'll see how this turns out. _

_**Disclaimer:** __I do NOT own Rise of the Guardians...I'm not that lucky or that talented._

Broken

Jack knew the staff was important from the moment his foot had first kicked it, sending it clattering against the frozen lake. After picking it up, Jack learned that it held power. It allowed him to freeze things, to create frost on any surface that he touched.

Jack learned that it allowed him to create snow and ice and bring the blizzards. But the thing he loved most about it was its ability to let him ride the wind.

Jack loved riding the wind, allowing it to blow him to where he was needed to spread his frigid joy. The wind had been there from the beginning, to pick him up and introduce him to the world, before whisking him away from the pain caused when he went unnoticed and unseen.

The wind was there to comfort him when loneliness struck, which it often did. After all, there was no one around who could see Jack Frost, and the only being to have talked with him had been the moon, but that had only been to give him his name.

But the wind was always there for Jack, and loved to pick him up and toss him about like the snowflakes he created. The wind kept Jack entertained as he learned to ride it. It became Jack's closest, and for a long time only, friend.

And it was because of this that Jack feared losing his staff, the one connection he had to the wind. And the only power he had. At least, that's what Jack thought.

Three months after his awakening Jack was attempting a new trick while riding the wind; that trick being to surf on top of his staff through the wind. But, being the reckless teenager that he was, he eventually lost control.

Jack felt himself tumble through the air, felt the wind try to catch him as he fell, but he had lost his grip on his staff and the wind had a hard time catching him when he had no contact with the aging piece of wood.

The wind however, did manage to blow Jack into a large bank of soft snow so that he rolled through it, unharmed.

At least he was unharmed until he ran into a tree and a resounding _SNAP_ echoed around him. Jack gasped at the sudden pain in his chest; it felt as though a part of him had been ripped violently away.

It took several minutes for Jack to catch his breath, and several more minutes before he could push through the ache he felt and clamber to his feet. As he spotted his staff he felt true fear rush through him at the sight. His staff was laying in two pieces beside him, the wood no longer frosted over.

And Jack was horrified.

He didn't know what to do. His staff was the only thing connecting him to the wind. Without it, he would loose his best friend. He would become invisible to everyone and everything, to roam forever as a spirit, no power, no friends, no one, nothing.

Jack's breathing picked up in panic, coming in short gasps as he reached out and picked up the two pieces with shaking hands. He held the pieces together, a distant part of him wishing it to be fixed, but the wood remained broken. His hands slipped, and he held two pieces once again.

_No,_ Jack thought, bringing the two pieces together once more. Still, nothing happened. He felt a sinking sensation in his stomach as tears flowed down his cheeks, crystalizing as they froze and dropped to the snow beneath the boy. Dropping the broken wood, Jack sobbed.

He sobbed for his loneliness, for the never ending stream of people who could not see him, would not acknowledge him, walked right through him. He sobbed for the abandonment he felt, at being dropped in the middle of his lake with nothing more than his name and his staff. He sobbed for his powers, no more now that the staff lay in front of him, two separate pieces. But most of all, he sobbed for the loss of the wind, for the friendship he would never again have.

A small breeze ruffled his hair as he sobbed, and tendrils of air wrapped around him. The wind seemed to be saying, _I'm here. I miss you. Come back to me._

"I don't know how," Jack rasped out. He would have shrugged off the grip if the wind had a physical form. "I can't! Not ever again." Jack sobbed harder.

_You can,_ the wind seemed to whisper in his ear. _Please, you can. Try it. Once more. I _need _you. _The wind whisked around him once more, and then it was gone.

Jack sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes before looking at his staff once more.

He didn't know how and he didn't care, he just knew that he had to fix it. Jack couldn't continue without his staff, couldn't go on without that connection to the wind and that piece of wood that was slowly becoming part of him.

Because Jack Frost needed the wind too.

Picking up the two pieces once more, he pushed them together, blinking back the still falling tears. He was alone enough as it was, did the wind really have to abandon him as well? He squeezed his eyes shut, willing his staff to fix itself, to mend so that he would once again be connected to the wind, feel the freedom the wind allowed once more. Be connected to the only friend he had ever known.

Jack felt a strange tugging sensation, almost the same as when he sent out a particularly strong blizzard over an area, and he felt power flow from his hands. He watched in stunned amazement as the brilliant glow of frost fused the two pieces of wood together and decorated the staff once more.

Jack laughed as the wind gently picked him up, tossing him high into the air to assure itself he was unharmed. He had done it; he had fixed his staff and gotten his friend back. But Jack had also learned something about himself. He learned that not all his power came from the staff. The tugging sensation he felt, he recognized it as the feeling he got whenever he used his power.

_Perhaps_, Jack thought as the wind carried him over a small Russian town and they left a wake of snowflakes trailing behind them. _Perhaps my staff isn't where I get my power._

But either way, Jack knew that it was his connection to the wind. A connection he didn't want to loose. And so Jack made a promise that he would never break his staff again.

_So, what did you think? Even before I read up on Jack's staff, I never thought it was the source of his power, I always believed it was just a conduit for his own great power. So I was pleased when I read about it and found out I was right :) This was just his first inkling into that notion. Should I continue?_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_WOW, honestly, I didn't expect the kind of response I got from this story, but WOW. Thank you all who have followed, favorited, and a special thank you to those who have reviewed! I am truly stunned by the number of emails that are flooding in even now as I type this, and so giddy that I could squeal, and in fact, I have._

_So, in thanks for everything, here is the next part!_

**Disclaimer: **_I still do not own Rise of the Guardians...__  
_

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

And Jack kept his promise for another 157 years. One hundred and fifty seven years of learning about his powers, of traveling the globe, and still, his only real friend was the wind.

Sure, Jack had met some of the other spirits, and some of the encounters hadn't been half bad. Jack found he was particularly fond of the Sandman. He had met Sandman ninety-three years previously, when he had been resting beside his lake in Burgess.

That night wasn't the first time Jack had seen the golden threads of sand swirl around, creating dreams for the children. But it was the first time Jack had seen the little man who created that sand. Curious, he had called upon his friend to bring him closer to the golden cloud.

As if sensing his presence, Sandman had turned, eyes widening in shock for the briefest of moments as Jack met his gaze, before a smile took over his face and he tipped a top hat in Jack's direction. And just like that the next hour was spent with Sandman as they competed in making things from sand and snow. But Sandman was busy and soon he bid farewell to the young winter spirit, leaving him with only the wind once more.

But that wasn't the last time Jack had seen the little man. Many nights after that Jack would find himself surrounded by the golden dream sand, and every couple of years Sandman would find Jack, and together they would spend the time, talking (or creating pictures with sand in Sandman's case, and Jack loved the game of figuring out what Sandman was saying, loved the challenge in it), creating things together, or just sitting in silence. Somehow, Sandman knew Jack craved the company, needed it, and Jack was grateful that he provided it when his busy schedule allowed, even if it was only for short bursts of time.

Jack Frost had also come across North, or Santa Claus, as he heard the children call him. He was intrigued by this man, but also slightly wary. He wasn't sure what to think of the large Cossack with his twin swords who handed out presents to the children around the world.

Especially when Jack himself never received a present. Jack attributed this to the belief he was on the naughty list, but wasn't sure how Santa would react if asked about it, or approached in any way. Nor was Jack keen on finding out, not only for fear of being scolded for being naughty, but for fear that North would not be able to see him, or would ignore him. So while Jack knew of North, he had never actually met the man in person.

Then there were the occasions Jack would come across the tooth fairies as they collected teeth and left coins in their wake. These little creatures fascinated Jack and they seemed fascinated by him as well. Whenever Jack would come across one it would flit up to him, circling his head and twittering excitedly. Jack would laugh and the little fairy would poke its head closer to his mouth, before swooning.

Jack wasn't sure what that was about, but he enjoyed the short moments of attention he received from the little hummingbird-like creatures.

Other spirits were not so kind to Jack. Most ignored him just as outright as the children Jack wished so desperately could see him. This was most often the case when it came to other immortals as they held to the belief that Jack was a troublemaker and getting involved with him would only lead to trouble.

But then there were those immortals that acknowledged Jack, but not in a good way. And in those instances Jack wished they would leave just him alone.

And so it was one hundred and fifty seven years after Jack's first mishap with his staff that he ran afoul of the Halloween spirit, Sam Hain. Sam Hain was a frightful spirit, little more than a skeleton in an orange and black pinstripe suit. And Jack learned that he did not like snow on his holiday.

"What were you thinking?" Sam hissed as he advanced on Jack. Jack backed away, slowly, carefully, and looked around.

"That this place was due for some snow and fun," Jack said, trying to act like Sam didn't scare the bejeebees out of him. There was a reason he was the spirit of Halloween, after all.

"No Jack," Sam said, voice low. "Tonight is a time for children to spend together, telling ghost stories. Tonight is the night for young women to peer into the mirrors and see their futures. And I am very busy providing that service. What you have done is delay me. What you have done is prevented those who celebrate _my_ holiday from enjoying it, instead enticing them out of doors to _play_ in this awful weather!"

Jack was backed up against a wall at this point and Sam Hain was practically spitting in his face.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, he didn't know what else to say. He couldn't explain how his powers worked, but he always knew who needed snow and when, and this town had been due.

"No Jack," Sam said. Jack had to admit to himself that he was scared now. Terrified of the look on Sam Hain's skeletal face, and he hated himself for that fear. "You're not sorry, but you will be."

Before Jack had time to realize what was happening, Sam reached out and gripped him by the shabby cloak around his shoulders. He swung the winter spirit around, throwing him towards a tree. Jack felt the wind grip at him, but the tree was too close and the wind had no chance at slowing him down.

Jack hit with a gasp, his staff slipping from his grasp.

"Now," Sam said, standing above Jack. "Let's stop you from ever ruining my holiday again. Or anyone else's for that matter. After all, all you do is make a mess of things. You were a mistake, one that shouldn't exist. And I am going to fix that."

Jack was still recovering from his run in with the tree when he heard the snap and felt the pain in his chest. He doubled over with a cry, clutching at his chest as Sam threw the broken staff towards him, the two pieces clattering to a stop in front of Jack's knees.

"Happy Halloween, Jack," Sam Hain said, before disappearing.

Jack attempted to hold back the tears as he gripped the two halves of his staff, the breaking of it had hurt much more this time around and Jack wasn't sure if it was because the staff was now more a part of him than ever before, or if it was simply the fact that it had been snapped by someone else.

Leaning his back up against the tree, Jack attempted to get control over his emotions. A light snowfall was coming down once more, steadily getting heavier with each breath Jack took.

Jack stared at the broken pieces as the weather reflected his mood and he smiled without humor. Even without his staff, he could make it snow, too bad Sam Hain hadn't known that. But Jack understood, now more than ever, that it was his emotions that truly controlled his powers. His staff just helped him direct that power where it was needed.

But what use was it, when he wasn't wanted? What use were these powers when they were so obviously hated by all those around him? Even Sam Hain had believers who could see him and friends who welcomed him when he visited, while Jack still had nothing, no one.

Maybe Sam had been right, maybe Jack _was _just a mistake and that was why the moon ignored him so.

Because it was the moon that had granted him power, had given him his name.

Had given him his staff.

"Maybe I don't want it," Jack whispered aloud as he stared at the splintered wood. "Maybe I don't want any of it!" this time was shouted up at the moon, which was hidden behind the thick snow clouds. "I didn't ask for this! I don't want it and I never did! Why put me here? Why? You can't even tell me! I hate you! I hate all of this!"

Jack made to throw the two broken pieces away from him, despite the pain that still burned in his chest. But a soft breeze caressed Jack's face and ruffled his white hair, stilling his hand.

It was as if the wind was telling him, _I am here, do you hate me?_

"No," Jack said. He could never hate the wind. Never. The wind was his best friend, was the only one always there for him.

A ruffling of his cloak and Jack found the wind asking him, _do you not want to be with me? _As Jack stared at the fragments of his staff.

"I do," Jack whispered, tears falling from his brilliantly blue eyes. "But, is it worth it? I am worth it? Do _you_ want to be with me?"

The wind wrapped him in an embrace as golden sand streams appeared overhead. Both seemed to say, _yes, we do. Yes, you are worth it. Believe in yourself._

"Believe in myself," Jack whispered, wiping the tears away. And he recalled the promise he made, 157 years ago. A promise that he had not kept. But he _could_ fix.

Jack placed the broken ends of his staff together and called upon his powers. The crack glowed a brilliant blue as frost spread once more over the wood, fusing the two halves together.

Jack sighed as the pain in his chest vanished. The wind circled him once more, pulling him up, and he laughed, allowing himself to be whisked off to the next town in need of a light dusting, racing the golden threads of Sandman's dream sand.

He wouldn't quit his job because some spirit believed the night belonged to them.

He was Jack Frost and he went where he was needed, when he was needed, regardless of what others thought. After all, they had no right to judge him or ridicule him. They didn't know him. But the wind did, and the wind thought Jack was worth it. And perhaps, just maybe, so did Sandman.

So Jack promised himself, the next time he saw Sam Hain, he would dump a blizzard's worth of snow on that skeletal head of his. After all, nobody broke Jack Frost's staff and got away with it.

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

_So, there's the next part. I'm not sure if I like the ending, but I am pleased with it. And yes, Sam Hain may seem a bit like Pitch Black. This takes place in the mid to late 1800s, where Halloween wasn't all candy and trick-or-treating. Instead, it was a time for ghost stories and mischief. And the tradition of young women gazed into mirrors in darkened rooms as it was said that the face of their future husband would be shown to them, but if they instead saw a skeleton, they would die before they married. I just made Sam Hain the skeleton the women would see instead. So, Jack did all those girls a favor and prevented them from seeing that. :) Go Jack!_

_Anyways, I in no way have anything against Halloween. In fact, it is one of my favorite holidays, so I don't mean to offend anyone, this is just my perspective on how Sam Hain would be around this time, causing fear and mischief and bringing death omens. So yeah, he's like Pitch. And yeah, he brings up the same fears Jack has as Pitch does. Sam Hain is a spirit of fear, after all._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**_ Wow, I just want to send a special thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, or reviewed my story, it just makes my day. And for those of you who haven't, it still tickles me pink that you are reading it, so thank you!_

_And here's the next part!_

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Rise of the Guardians_

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

It was the year 1968 and Jack was attempting to sneak into North's workshop. He had finally found it in the North Pole after years of searched, and he was fascinated with what he could see of it from outside.

So naturally, he wanted a closer look.

It didn't take him long to find a window that was unlocked and pushing it open, Jack placed first one foot inside, then his other. A breeze ruffled its way past him as Jack touched lightly onto the ground and looked around.

He seemed to be in some kind of bedroom, although it didn't look as if it had been used in a very long time. Not that Jack understood that. After all, it was a perfectly good bedroom, at the top of the highest tower, with windows all around showing the beautiful landscape of the North Pole.

Jack cracked the door open, wincing as it creaked loudly. He heard a grumble, half confusion, half annoyance, and peeked his head around the door.

To come face to face with a large, furry creature with a mustache.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise, as did the creature's. It made more grumbling noises as it walked towards Jack. And Jack backed up, clutching his staff.

"Oh, a," Jack fumbled. In truth, he was partially grateful that the creature could see him and was acknowledging him. It was always nice to receive that reassurance that others could indeed see him. But he also remembered the experiences he had had with other creatures, Sam Hain being at the top of the list.

Sure, the guy had mellowed out quite a bit, focusing more on fun and candy now than on death and fear, but Jack had never forgotten that night, nearly 100 years ago, that his staff had been snatched from him and snapped in half.

Nor had he forgotten the other times he had had run ins with other immortals. Although none of those had been as bad as that Halloween night none of them were very pleasant either. Only Sandman and the tooth fairies had actually treated Jack kindly out of all the immortals he had met, and Jack was not quick to forget that.

He kept a list of immortals he could bug with minimal hurt to himself, and those he should just stay away from. After all, scathing remarks his way was better than no attention at all. But needless to say, Jack was still wary when facing new immortals, especially big ones that looked as though they could throw him through a wall.

The creature reached out and Jack flinched away. The creature made more sounds and Jack looked up, seeing a shocked expression the creature's face.

"Blaugh nah?" the creature asked, or at least Jack thought it was a question.

"Uh, um, I just, you know," Jack said, stumbling for words and hating that he couldn't find anything to say. The flinch had been instinct, learned after so many years and bad encounters.

"Blag nagu fug," the creature said, shaking its head. It reached out once more and gripped Jack by his extremely tattered brown cloak and carried him back into the tower room. The creature closed the door before setting Jack down and rummaging in a drawer.

"Frul al gow," the creature turned around and something blue smacked Jack in the face.

Jack held it up, revealing it to be a hooded jacket. It was the same style that was quickly becoming popular with the children of America and Europe, and made of the softest fabric Jack had ever touched. Not to mention, it was his favorite color.

"Uh, thanks?" Jack said, unsure if this was a gift, or what the creature was planning. What if this was a trick? A way for the creature to hurt him, catch him unawares?

"Gru wa la goo," the creature said, making a gesture that clearly stated Jack should put it on.

"Okay," Jack said. He stepped closer to the still open window, in case he needed to make a quick exit, and placed his staff within easy reaching distance. Then he unclasped the hook holding the very old and worn out cape on his shoulders. It slithered to the floor, hitting with a thunk and a cracking of frost.

Jack then quickly pulled the hoodie over his head. It felt even softer once it was on and Jack found himself smiling. He didn't need anything to keep him warm, after all, he was _the_ spirit of winter, but it was nice to have something on. And something new at that. He had to admit that cloak was getting extremely worn out.

"Thank you," Jack said, looking back up at the creature.

"Fu noguh," the creature replied.

"Uh, what's your name?" Jack asked, curious now. He felt more comfortable in the creature's presence now, trusting that the creature wouldn't hurt him.

"Filnumoughu," the creature said. Jack wasn't sure if it was a question, a statement, or his answer.

"I'll just call you Phil then," he said. "That's okay right? Phil?"

The creature just sighed and shrugged, causing Jack to laugh.

"Well, Phil, I just um, wanted to have a look around this place, so if you'll excuse me," Jack made a step towards the door, but Phil stepped in his way.

"Frualg duga," Phil said, shaking his head.

"I can't look around?" Jack asked.

Phil shook his head.

"Oh," Jack said, feeling his heart sink. He had hoped he'd have a chance to look around, test out a few toys, and try some of the delicious looking foods he had spied. Jack didn't need to eat, just like he didn't need to sleep. He was an immortal spirit after all. But on the occasions he had gotten his hands on food, he found he enjoyed it very much.

It was the same with sleeping, but perhaps that was because Sandman always sent him wonderful dreams of far off places and exciting creatures. Jack's favorite was always of the creatures that swam around with flippers and fins on their back. He remembered reading one time that they were called dolphins. But they lived in the ocean, riding on the warm currents, so Jack had never seen them in real life. Only in his dreams and the occasional book he was able to get his hands on and read.

"Frualg duga," Phil said again, pointing towards the window. Jack hesitated. He weighed his chances of getting past Phil, but the creature took up the whole space in front of the door.

Phil was gesturing towards the window once again when a loud shout echoed up and the door slammed open behind Phil, startling Jack. Jack, in a moment of rare clumsiness, tripped backwards, knocking his staff from its perch beside the window. He turned, as if in slow motion, and watched, horrified as his staff fell down, down, down.

"No," Jack cried, diving after his staff. He could hear the strange creatures arguing in the distance, but didn't care. He needed to get his staff.

Jack reached one hand forward while straightening the rest of his body, willing himself to go faster. His fingers wrapped around the staff just a few feet from the ground and Jack landed heavily and face first into a snowdrift. The splintering of wood was accompanied by severe pain in Jack's chest and he doubled over, gasping in shock.

When his pain was controlled enough, he held up the part of the staff still in his hands. It was broken into three pieces this time, each barely connected by thin thread-like strands of wood.

Jack groaned and pressed himself into the snow, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't do anything right, can I?" he muttered to himself.

Jack laid there, the silence of the snow surrounding him, clutching his broken staff and feeling the burning pain in his chest. This time was even worse and Jack knew it was because the staff was a part of him, an extension of who he was, and it hurt to have that broken.

A door opened nearby and Jack heard the sound of those strange creature's language. He lifted his head up, feeling hope at the idea that that creature, Phil, was worried about him, had come to check and see if he was alright.

After all, Phil had given him the hooded sweatshirt he now wore. Jack waited, watching, but realized it wasn't Phil who had come outside, it was a different creature. Jack watched the creature do something before heading back inside, slamming the door behind it.

Jack let his head fall back down, frozen tears falling from his eyes. Of course Phil didn't care enough about him to check on him. He was probably glad that Jack was out of the way now. And perhaps he had only given Jack the sweatshirt out of pity. Because Jack's cloak was long worn and extremely tattered and it didn't like that.

_That's probably why,_ Jack thought, brushing angrily at his tears.

"Well, I don't need your pity!" Jack shouted up at the window he had fallen through. "From any of you!" this was aimed more directly at the moon. "And I don't need anyone," Jack whispered. "I can take care of myself."

The wind sped across the ground, blowing a flurry of snow into Jack's face.

Jack laughed. "Well, that's not entirely true. I do need you," he told the wind.

It took him longer to mend his staff than the previous two times it had broken, but that was because he had to mend two breaks. Once it was fixed, Jack sat in the snow for several minutes, panting. The pain in his chest was gone, but it took a lot of energy, a lot of power, to mend the staff and Jack felt drained, exhausted, and abandoned.

The door opened once more and Jack felt his heart leap. Maybe Phil had come to check on him. Maybe he wasn't alone and uncared for.

But it was just an elf, dropping something burning and foul smelling into the snow before brushing its hands together and walking back inside. Jack crinkled his nose at the mess in the beautiful snow, and waved his staff, covering it in ice. The foul smell disappeared as the smoking stopped.

"Come on wind," Jack said, standing up. "We'll give them a chance to forget I was here, then we'll try again."

After all, Jack wasn't one to give up that easily. The wind ruffled his hair in affection, curling around him, as if asking, _what shall we do in the mean time?_

Jack thought about it as he watched the snow flurries around him. Then he grinned. "It's been a long time since there was snow on Easter," Jack mused. "How about we go say hello to that old rabbit." After all, Bunnymund was on his list of immortals he could pester with only scathing remarks made his way. And most of the time, he could get away from those as well.

With a laugh, the wind picked Jack Frost up, tossing him into the air and racing away towards daylight, bringing the storm clouds with it.

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

_This one got away from me and I couldn't reign it in - I really didn't expect to do a piece in the North Pole, I was more going to focus on the blizzard of '68, but this is what happened. Not sure what I think of it, although I do like Phil. Still, not sure if I like this chapter, but my original idea just wouldn't let me write it. Stupid plot bunnies._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_Okay, sorry for the wait for this chapter, between work and other things needing done, I haven't been able to write. And then this chapter was WAY harder to write than I thought it was going to be, and took me WAY longer to write than it should have. But I am very please with it, I think it turned out well. _

__**Disclaimer:** _I do NOT own Rise of the Guardians, although I did borrow the dialogue from the movie for this chapter all things Rise of the Guardians belong to DreamWorks. _

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

Jack stood in the frigid South Pole, the wind whistling around him as he clutched the container holding his memories. Tears fell from his eyes only to be whisked up in the wind as it tried to comfort the winter spirit. Voices echoed in Jack's mind, repeating words he rather would not hear.

"_You make a mess wherever you go."_

_"You were with Pitch?"_

_"Jack, what have you done?"_

_ "We should NEVER have trusted you."_

Jack clenched his fist around the memory box. "Shut up," he murmured, but the voices continued.

_"He has to go."_

_ "That's where you were?"_

_ "Jack, how could you?"_

_ "You make a mess of everything."_

Jack crouched down, holding his head in an attempt to block out the accusing voices as 300 years' worth of criticisms and harshness echoed in his head.

_"What are you Jack?"_

_ "You were a mistake."_

_ "Do you know what you've done?"_

_ "You ruin everything!"_

_ "Just stay away!"_

_ "You shouldn't even exist."_

_ "What use are you?"_

_ "People believe in _me_. They don't believe in you."_

_ "Get out!"_

_ "Worthless."_

_ "Troublemaker."_

_ "Where's Baby Tooth?"_

Jack looked up at that, tear tracks frozen on his cheeks. "Baby Tooth," Jack whispered. He glanced at his memory box once more. It was his fault that Pitch had Baby Tooth, his fault because he wanted his memories so bad. But he didn't want them if it meant causing another harm, especially someone like Baby Tooth. The little fairy had been nothing but supportive of Jack, and he felt he had betrayed her, even if he hadn't meant to.

Staring down at his memory box, Jack found himself angry. Angry at Pitch for tricking him, angry at the guardians for not being there for him, for turning on him, but mostly he was angry at himself. Angry that he had allowed himself to be tricked, had allowed Pitch to gain the upper hand. All because Jack couldn't wait to figure out who he was.

But, he didn't want to figure out this way, didn't deserve to. Yelling in anger, Jack ran to the edge of a cliff, preparing to throw his memories away, but at the last second, found he couldn't. He just couldn't do it, because a part of him still wanted to know, needed to know who he had been. Why he was here now. Jack stared down at the little golden box, unsure of what to do.

"I thought this might happen," a voice echoed up to Jack and he spun around, whole body on high alert. Pitch Black stood a ways away, watching Jack. Slowly, Jack tucked his memory box into his sweater pocket.

"They never really believed in you," Pitch continued, stepping closer to Jack. "I was just trying to show you that. But I understand."

Anger and hatred boiled up in Jack. How could he understand 300 years' worth of pain and abandonment? How could he understand what Jack was feeling, right now? Jack himself didn't fully understand all the emotions coursing through him, and yet Pitch was claiming he did? No, Jack didn't believe that.

"You don't understand ANYTHING!" Jack shouted, racing forward with the wind and spraying Pitch with a hail of icicles.

"No?" Pitch said, blocking Jack's attacks but not countering. "I don't know what it's like to be cast out?"

Jack raced around Pitch and leapt at him with a shout of anger and pain, a wave of ice falling towards the Nightmare King like a tidal wave. Pitch raised his arms to the attack, blocking the deadly ice with a wall of black sand.

"To not be believed in?" Pitch continued to speak, voice softening. "To long for a family?"

That last one struck Jack, stalling him. Slowly, he lowered his staff, staring at Pitch. Perhaps Pitch did know what Jack was going through. Perhaps he knew what Jack was feeling.

"All those years in the shadows I thought, 'No one else knows what this feels like.'" Jack felt his heart stutter as Pitch voiced the words that he himself had thought hundreds of times over the years.

"But now I see I was wrong," Pitch said, eyes soft as he looked at Jack, almost compassionate.

Jack lowered his staff completely. After all, how could he attack someone who felt the same as he did, who had suffered in the same way?

"We don't have to be alone, Jack," Pitch said. "I believe in you." And Jack heard the unspoken truth: 'Unlike those guardians.'

Jack looked down, considering what Pitch was saying.

"And I know children will too."

Surprised, Jack looked back up. That was the one thing he longed for above all else. To have the children be able to see him, to include him in their games, speak with him, acknowledge him, _believe_ in him.

"In me?" Jack whispered, daring to hope.

"Yes!" Pitch exclaimed, stepping closer to the winter spirit. "Look at what we can do."

Pitch reached an arm around Jack's shoulders, spinning him towards the towering form of ice and black sand they had created not too long ago.

"What goes together better than cold and dark?" Pitch asked, gesturing towards the deadly sculpture. "We can make them believe."

Jack felt his stomach clench at that. No matter how much he wanted to be believed in, he didn't want to force anyone to do so, it just didn't seem right. He turned to look towards Pitch, the first inkling that this was wrong blossoming in his stomach and continuing to grow with each word that tumbled from Pitch's mouth.

"We'll give them a world where everything, EVERYTHING is-"

"Pitch Black?" Jack cut Pitch off. This was wrong; it was not what he wanted.

"And Jack Frost, too. They'll believe in both of us," Pitch added, but Jack had already seen what Pitch was planning, already knew he could never agree to it.

"No," Jack said, and even though it pained him to crush the hope of ever being seen, of being believed in, he could not agree with what Pitch planned. "They'll fear both of us, and that's not what I want. Now, for the last time, leave me alone!"

Jack spun away from Pitch, heart pounding and began to walk away from possibly his only chance at ever having a child look at him. But if that look was in fear, Jack didn't want to be seen. It wasn't worth it.

"Very well," Pitch said from behind Jack, and Jack thought, for a split second, that Pitch would just let him walk away. "You want to be left alone? Done." Jack paused, because something seemed off with Pitch just letting him leave like that. "But first," at this Jack heard a squeak, a very familiar one, and spun around.

"Baby Tooth!" Jack raced back to Pitch, who was gripping the small fairy tightly in his hand. Jack was furious, how dare Pitch threaten Baby Tooth? She had no part in their argument. Jack raised his staff, fully intending on blasting Pitch into the next ice age, but hesitated. He didn't want to hurt Baby Tooth, and that was a real possibility with Pitch holding her.

"The staff, Jack," Pitch demanded and Jack looked down at it. What could Pitch possibly want with his staff? It wouldn't work for Pitch; it didn't work for anyone but Jack. In anyone else's hands it was just a piece of wood, old and splintering and useless.

Jack knew; he had had it stolen before in an attempt to use it against him. It hadn't worked.

Pitch saw the question in his eyes. "You have a bad habit of interfering," Pitch explained. "Now, hand it over and I'll let her go."

Jack glanced at Pitch before turning to Baby Tooth, who was frantically shaking her head no. Clenching his jaw as the wind swirled around him, embracing him as if afraid of losing Jack forever, Jack tightened his grip.

Determination flooded through Jack and he raised his staff once more. No way was Pitch going to separate him from his best friend. The only one who had stood beside Jack through thick and thin, who was there for the worst days of his life and the few shining bright ones.

But then Pitch tightened his grasp on Baby Tooth, making her squeak, and Jack knew that if it was between his happiness and friendship, and Baby Tooth's life, he would choose Baby Tooth, every time. The little fairy didn't deserve to suffer. If anyone did, it was Jack. He was the screw up, unable to do anything right, unable to help anyone.

At least he could help Baby Tooth, even if it did mean being completely alone for the rest of forever. However long that was for Jack. Silently, Jack apologized to the wind.

Jack spun his staff around, handing it off to Pitch. Unable to watch as the Nightmare King wrapped his pale grey fingers around the wood, Jack turned away, squeezing his eyes shut and the staff was pulled from his grip.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Pitch. "Alright, now let her go," Jack demanded, holding his hand out for the little fairy.

"No," Pitch replied, almost childish in his glee at denying Jack what he wanted.

Jack dropped his arm in shock. He couldn't even safe Baby Tooth. Couldn't even fix that wrong. Maybe he truly was a failure.

"You said you wanted to be alone," Pitch taunted. "So BE alone!"

Pitch shouted this last part and Baby Tooth dug her beak into Pitch's hand. Pitch shouted in pain and surprise and threw Baby Tooth away from him.

"NO!" Jack cried as he watched Baby Tooth hit an icy wall and fall into a ravine. He turned back to Pitch, anger burning in his eyes, but faltered as he watched Pitch grip his staff in both hands.

_No_, Jack thought as Pitch bent the wood. _He wouldn't. No!_

The staff splintered, breaking in two and Jack gasped at the pain, doubling over. It felt as if his very heart had been ripped out and trodden on.

Before he could recover any semblance of control Jack was slammed backwards by a wave of nightmare sand, hitting the same wall as Baby Tooth and tumbling into the ravine below.

Pitch walked over to the edge, looking down at the fallen winter spirit and laughing at his crumpled form before tossing the broken pieces of the staff down with Jack and leaving. He had hopes and dreams to snuff out, after all.

Jack woke up slowly, clutching his head and grimacing at the pain in his chest. It hurt so much, that broken connection and Jack was finding it hard to breathe, a headache building from the lack of oxygen. The wind howled above him, but was hard pressed to make it into the ravine to comfort the boy.

Jack looked around his surroundings. "Baby Tooth!" he exclaimed, spotting the small fairy not far from him. He pushed his own discomfort away as he scrambled to scoop Baby Tooth from the cold snow, cupping her in his hands.

"All right?" he asked, voice cracking from pain and concern. Baby Tooth shivered and sneezed. Jack sighed, pulling his top hand away. "Sorry, all I can do is keep you cold."

Sadness overcomes Jack as he thinks about that. It seemed like that was all Jack was ever able to do, even when he desperately wished there was more he _could_ do. His temperature was not agreeable with the majority of other living beings on the earth, and while children found it fun to play in the snow, even they had to bundle up and return inside after a few hours to keep from getting sick.

"Pitch was right," Jack whispered, blinking back tears. "I make a mess of everything."

Baby Tooth's eyes widened and she hopped into Jack's hoodie pocket. "Hey," Jack said, before sighing once again. He brought an arm around to splint his chest, hoping that would help because it hurt so much.

There was nothing left for him and Jack moved once more to lean up against the icy walls, closing his eyes. It would be better for everyone if he just stayed down here, away from the others, away from anything he could screw up, away from anyone he could hurt.

"Jack? Jaaack?"

Jack looked down at his sweater, where the voice was originating from, and jumped back in shock at the golden glow emitting from the pocket. Reaching in, his hand wrapped around the cold cylindrical container and he pulled out his memory box.

"Jack!" the voice called.

Jack stared at the golden container before lowering it to find Baby Tooth sitting on his knee. Baby Tooth touched the container, keeping eye contact with Jack. Her meaning became crystal clear to Jack, although Jack was worried. He wasn't sure if he was ready. If he was worth it.

Baby Tooth nods her head, encouraging Jack to open the box and see his memories.

And so Jack does, he gives in to the longing to see his past life, to know who he was, and quite possibly, to forget everything he had been through for the past 300 years, if only for a little while.

Brushing a finger over the deep blue diamond, a brilliant light enfolds around him, pulling him into his happy childhood memories.

_He's running around, making the children with him laugh._

_He's hanging upside down from a tree branch as children watch on and a voice calls out "Jack! Get down from there!"_

_He's dancing around with antlers held to his head, a giggling voice echoing "You're funny, Jack."_

_And then he's walking outside, a pair of ice skates slung over his shoulder as a girl tugs his hand. And Jack knows, just _knows_, that she's his sister._

_"Be careful," a voice admonishes._

_Jack laughs, following his sister. "We will," he promises, casting one last look at his wonderful mother and it felt so good to see her, to _know_ her._

_And then he's on the ice, carefully setting aside his skates and fighting down fear._

No, no, no,_ Jack thinks as he sees what's happening._

_"It's okay, it's okay," Jack calls to his sister. "Just don't look down, look at me."_

_"Jack, I'm scared," his sister says as the ice cracks beneath her. _

Jack wanted to scream, to cry, and to run away from this memory. How could this be a good memory? Why would he want to see this, another example of his failures? An example of his failures before he ever became Jack Frost. Jack wants to pulls away, but the memory sucks him in, pressing forward and all Jack can do is watch on, horrified.

_"I know, I know," Jack says, taking a step towards his sister. The ice cracks beneath his feet and Jack wants to scream, to yell at himself to stop!_

_"But you're gonna be alright. You're not going to fall in," Jack screams at himself for making promises he can't keep and wonders why the moon would choose him after a failure sure as this._

_"Uh," Jack hesitates a moment, thinking. "We're gonna have a little fun instead."_

_"No, we're not," his sister cries._

_"Would I trick you?" Jack asks, and inside, Jack is screaming. Yes, yes he would, he is, because he is a failure, he makes a mess of everything._

_"Yes, you always play tricks," his sister confirms._

_Jack chuckles slightly. "Well, alright. But, but not now. Not this time. I promise. I promise." And Jack's crying inside at the empty promises he's making to a sister he's all but forgotten._

_"You're gonna be, you're gonna be fine. You have to believe in me."_

_Jack stills at this, at the utter confidence that washes over him at those words. Those words he's begged children around the world to follow for the past 300 years, and he finds hope in them as he watches the scene play out._

_"You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch, like we play every day. It's as easy as one," Jack takes a step, wincing slightly as the ice cracks beneath his bare foot before smiling and pretending to lose his balance. His sister giggles at his antics and Jack feels his heart soar._

_"Two," another step, and one more leap over to the staff lying on the ice. "Three!" Jack bends down, gripping the wood in his hand. And suddenly Jack understands. This is it, this is when he changes. He's dressed as he was when the moon woke him from his dark sleep, and the staff he just grabbed, it's the same one that has become such an extension of himself. Now Jack only wonders how this happens, and why._

_"Alright, now it's your turn," Jack says, reaching towards his sister with the hooked end of the staff. "One, that's it, that's it, two," his sister gasps as the ice cracks more, Jack's heart stuttering to a stop. He lunges forward as he shouts three, hooking his sister around the waist with the staff and flinging her to safety, even as he shifts over onto the unstable ice._

_Jack laughs, both in the memory and being the one watching it. He had done it, he had saved his sister. His sister meets his gaze, smiling in relief even as the ice cracks under Jack and he is plunged into the icy water._

_"Jack!" his sister's voice echoes above him. Jack struggles at first before finally giving up, giving in. And Jack watches, tears in his eyes as he see his own death, bittersweet in the knowledge that he saved his sister, even while he himself died._

_The moon grows larger, shining brightly through the frigid water as Jack watches the color slowly bleed from his hair, leaving it white._

He wakes with a gasp, breathing heavily as his mind tries to process everything. Baby Tooth waits for him, sitting on the cold snow, arms crossed.

Jack looks down at his memory box, stunned. He had saved his sister, had giving his life protecting her, guarding her, and he had succeeded. He had believed in himself and his sister had believed in him and he had succeeded.

"Did you see?" Jack exclaims as emotions swirl through him. "Did you see that?"

Baby Tooth shakes her head, but Jack barely notices, so caught up in who he was, who he is.

"It was, it was me!" Jack exclaims, picking up Baby Tooth. "I had a family," he smiles at the memory of his mother's kind smile and gentle warnings. "I had a sister!" and he loved his sister, more than he could imagine loving anyone.

"I saved her!" and Jack laughs, wanting to run and shout it to the world. But he calms down, turning his face to the moon. "But, that's why you choose me?" he asks, half stunned, half wondering.

And then it hits him. Yes, that was why he had been chosen. That was why the moon had saved him, had brought him back and given him his powers. It wasn't to be cruel. It wasn't for Jack to live in misery by being ignored and shunned and forgotten.

"I'm, I'm a guardian!" Jack scrambles to his feet in excitement at his realization. He was a guardian. Had always been a guardian of the children. He just had never realized it before.

Baby Tooth squeaks at him and Jack looks down at her before glancing around.

"We have to get out of here," Jack says, placing Baby Tooth on his shoulder and touching the walls around him, looking for a place to climb out. But then he spies his staff, broken in two pieces, hole in his heart, but blessedly there. Pitch hadn't taken it away from him, had foolishly given it back to the spirit of winter and Jack rushes over to it, landing on his knees in front of it and picking it up in eager hands.

Jack places the ends together, slightly worried. Did he have enough power right now to fix it? Baby Tooth makes a sad noise in his ear, shifting in anxiety.

"Okay," Jack sighs, but his hands slip from shaking and the wood pulls apart.

"Oh," Jack hisses in frustration as he stands up, still gripping the two pieces. The wind encircles him, embraces him, supports him and Jack knows he can do it. Knows because he has done it before and suddenly he's grateful of those challenges.

He places the two pieces together once more, closing his eyes in concentration as he feels the wood begin to mend; the gentle tugging that signifies his power leeching into the staff, frosting it over. Jack's eyes open in relief as more power drains from him and Baby Tooth squeals in excitement. Screwing his gaze onto the glowing wood, Jack smiles as he pours more concentration into fixing his staff.

And then it's fixed, it's fused, and Jack stumbles slightly, feeling exhausted. Baby Tooth chirps in concern, nudging Jack's cheek.

"I'm alright," Jack says, forcing the exhaustion away. He calls on the wind and it responds, rushing into the ravine in a great blast of air and tossing the winter spirit up, up, up. The wind swirls around Jack, happy to have him back, and Jack is glad to be back in the wind's embrace.

"Come on Baby Tooth," Jack calls as they speed away. "I owe you one!"

And Jack is determined to repay Baby Tooth, no matter what. And perhaps, in the process, he would be able to help stop Pitch as well.

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

_Haha, I realize that halfway through I switch tenses, but oh well. I'm too lazy to go back and fix it. Hope you enjoyed it!_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_Alright, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took me so long to post, I think I rewrote this chapter like 20 times because I just couldn't figure out how to get it right! Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!_

__**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Rise of the Guardians!_

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

It was the last thing Jack expected, and that made it all the worse.

It was the end of May and Jack had just finished bringing a storm to the Southern parts of China and was heading to the Himalayas to play with the wind. He had been a guardian for two months now, and while he enjoyed spending time with the others, two months was not long enough to become accustomed to being around someone 24/7.

Sure, North had offered Jack a place to stay at Santoff Claussen, in fact, it was the room that Jack had first broken into all those years ago. The room he had received the hoodie he now wore.

But Jack had declined. North had made it a standing invitation, but Jack loved how free he was, allowed to ride the winds and explore the world.

And North could sometimes be a little too over bearing. Ever since Pitch's defeat, Jack had found himself suffocating under the attention of the other four guardians. He appreciated it, he did, but it was just too much at times, and Jack needed his space.

So Jack had declined, but he had promised he would visit the others often and that had settled their trepidation about allowing him off on his own. After all, Pitch had been extremely weakened and most likely wouldn't resurface for another few hundred years. And with him gone, the world was safe once more.

That's why the attack took Jack by surprise.

Flying had always been Jack's favorite thing ever. The feel of the wind rushing around him, tossing him this way and that playfully; it was wonderful.

So it was the last thing Jack expected when something tackled him out of the sky, dropping him somewhere in Pakistan.

Jack landed with an oomph, loosing his grip on his staff as he rolled several feet before coming to a complete stop.

The first thing Jack noticed was that it was HOT. Jack generally avoided Pakistan, preferring to fly high enough over it that he missed the heat and humidity that surrounded the place, making it insufferable to him. And Jack decided that today must have been one of their warmer days, because the ground beneath him was melting faster than he could freeze it in an attempt to keep cool.

The second thing Jack noticed was that people surrounded him. Or legends did, to be more exact.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. "If it isn't Jack Frost, the newest Guardian."

Jack looked up and into the face of the Groundhog. He was a head shorter than Bunny, and certainly chubbier, with dusty brown fur.

"Oh, hey Groundy," Jack said, offering a greeting. He had never really gotten on all that well with the Groundhog, considering he was either chasing the guy back into his hole, or he himself was being chased away, banishing winter until fall ended, but they had never really had any conflicts between them. After all, they were just doing their jobs.

Jack looked around at the others surrounding him as he pushed himself into a sitting position. It felt slightly like he was suffocating in the heat and humidity and he was grateful when he spied his staff.

"Oh, thanks April," Jack said, standing up and reaching out for his staff.

April Showers glared at him, stepping out of reach and not handing his staff back.

"Okay. Uh, what's going on?" Jack asked, confused.

"What's going on?" another man mocked and Jack turned to look at Walter Turkey. Walter was the spirit of Thanksgiving, generally a good-natured man with feathers for hair and a beak for a mouth (which Jack found rather odd, but whatever). Now, however, he looked rather scary, his beak turned down into something rather like a snarl.

"What's going on, Jack," Groundhog said. "Is what we are wondering."

"I don't understand," Jack said. All he wanted was to get his staff and get out of here before he got sick from the heat. He could feel the wind blowing weakly around him, but the humidity was too thick for it to do much to help Jack.

"We don't either," May Flowers said. "I mean, how is it that a _boy_ such as you would be chosen for a Guardian?"

"What?" Jack asked. He had never met May Flowers before and didn't understand the hostility with which she was speaking to him.

"How is it that ye were picked above the rest of us?" Leprechaun asked, vivid green eyes glaring at Jack.

"The moon," Jack said.

"We don't want to hear it," Groundhog said. "It's obvious that there's been a mistake in choosing you. After all, you're no Guardian. All you do is bring cold and pain and fear."

"That's not true," Jack said, backing away from Groundhog as he stepped forward.

"Oh yeah?" April said from behind Jack. "And how many people have died from the cold and snow that you brought? How many have been sick or injured because of you?"

"I don't, I can't," Jack began as the legends closed in around him.

"You're nothing but trouble," Walter said.

"You're not worthy of being a Guardian," May pressed.

"Not worthy at all," Summer Heat, who had been silent until now, added.

"And we're gonna show it to the world," Groundhog said.

Jack stumbled away from Groundhog, only to run into May. He made to move away, but the flower bringing spirit gripped him by his arms with surprising strength. Jack struggled, but the heat was overcoming him and he felt his strength leaving.

"You're not much of a Guardian at all," May laughed.

"More like a dumb kid," Summer scoffed.

"And it's time you learned a lesson," Groundhog said, before sinking a fist, err paw, into Jack's stomach.

Jack doubled over with a gasp and another paw was smashed into his solar plexus. May released him and he dropped to the ground, gasping for air.

A rain boot shod foot connected with Jack's back, causing him to roll slightly.

"Why are you?" Jack gasped, but couldn't get anything else out as another vicious kick was delivered to his already bruised stomach. This was followed by more kicks and Jack attempted to curl in on himself, only to have his arms wrenched behind his back.

He felt something twine around his wrists, sharp points digging into his skin and he let out a cry of pain. His ankles were soon bound the same way and Jack found that the more he struggled, the more the sharp points dug into him.

Once he was tied up, the attack began afresh, with kicks coming from every direction. Jack let out a scream as a high heel dug into his shoulder, breaking the skin and drawing blood.

Tears poured from Jack's eyes and he prayed for oblivion, prayed to pass out, but he didn't and the attack continued.

Insults flew from the mouths of those surrounding him as Jack did his best to curl up on himself in an attempt to protect himself from the pain and agony that surrounded him. The heat of the ground he was on and the air around him had sapped what little strength remained, and Jack lay gasping for air as the attacks finally stopped.

Every inch of his body hurt and Jack could feel blood trickling from several places on his body where skin had obviously been broken. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his face into the ground in an attempt to stop the world from spinning away beneath him.

He could vaguely hear voices, shouting and angry. He opened his eyes and blinked several times, trying to focus on what was happening now.

"Why have you done this?!" a voice boomed, one that was familiar, although Jack couldn't quite place it. More voices sounded overhead, incomprehensible to Jack before one by one his attackers left.

"Jack's staff, give it here, mate," Jack heard. _Bunny, that was Bunny. And if Bunny was here, that meant that the other voice had been North. _Jack wanted to cry in relief and very nearly did as he felt Tooth settle beside him, running a gentle hand through his hair. The guardians were here; he was safe. Tooth murmured soothing words that Jack couldn't make out as the binds holding his wrists and ankles were removed and feeling rushed back into his extremities.

"You want it?" Jack heard April ask, and a feeling of dread curled through his stomach, although he didn't know why. "Fine, take it."

Jack let out a scream of pain as he felt his connection to his staff and the wind break for the fifth time in his life. Then the world was spinning, the edges growing darker. He could here more shouts, furious this time, and Tooth's gentle voice, sounding frantic, before he knew no more.

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

_'You're nothing but trouble.'_

_'You're no Guardian.'_

_'Nothing but a mistake.'_

_'Dumb kid.'_

_'How many people have died because of you?'_

_'How many?'_

_'You're not worthy of being a Guardian.'_

_'And we're gonna show it to the world.'_

Jack awoke with a start, sitting up quickly and gasping in pain as tears fell from his eyes. The wind curled around him, embracing him in an icy hug as Jack looked around the room.

It was his room, or the one North had offered him, at Santoff Claussen. The large bay windows were open, allowing the wind and snow to drift inside and surround him. Jack stared out the window for several minutes as the accusations and insults flooded his mind.

More tears fell from his eyes and he brought his legs up, hugging them and resting his chin on his knees.

Maybe they were right; maybe he didn't deserve to be a Guardian. Maybe he wasn't strong enough. After all, he hadn't been able to stop them from hurting him, and if he couldn't stop them, how could he protect the children.

A snort interrupted Jack's thoughts and he jumped, spinning around. North sat in a chair beside his bed, arms folded across his great belly and eyes closed in sleep. He snorted again and shifted in the chair.

Jack smiled at the scene, oh how he would have loved a camera. But it also warmed his heart to see that North did care about him. Why else would he be camped out in Jack's room?

The wind swirled around Jack once more and Jack held up a hand, reassuring it he was okay. But that was when he noticed something was missing, and the pain in his chest increased ten-fold with the knowledge.

"My staff," Jack said, attempting to rise from the bed. He gasped as something tugged on his shoulder and looked down to find himself wearing not his hoodie, but a large t-shirt. Peaking beneath it, Jack found his chest and abdomen swathed in thick bandages. His wrists and ankles also bore bandages wrapped tightly around them; small pinpricks of blood had seeped through the white fabric.

Panic took over Jack. He was hurt and without his staff. He needed his staff, it was the only thing that made him feel safe. His eyes darted around the room, looking for the piece of wood, hoping and praying that it was nearby. The pain in his chest told him it had been broken, but he knew he could fix it, if only he could find it.

Not seeing it anywhere, Jack climbed out of bed, nearly collapsing from the pain and exhaustion that over took him at the simple task.

North snored again, attempted to roll over, and fell off the chair.

"Wha?" North asked, sitting up and looking around in surprise. Then he spotted Jack, who was making slow progress to the door in his room. "Jack, you are awake! Where are you going?"

"I need my staff," Jack rasped out. Taking another step, he stumbled and would have fallen if North had not been there to catch him.

"You should not be out of bed," North said, picking up Jack and carrying him back to the bed. Jack protested, but he was too weak to actually do anything about the manhandling.

"You don't understand," Jack was saying. "I need my staff, please."

North hesitated, looking down at Jack with a sad look and suddenly Jack was afraid.

"You did get my staff, didn't you?"

"Jack," North said. "We can get you a new staff."

"No, I need my staff," Jack said. Adrenaline surged through him at the idea that the others had left it behind and Jack attempted to get out of the bed once more.

"Whoa," North said, stopping Jack easily with a hand on his shoulder.

"What's all the ruckus up here?" Bunny asked, opening the door and peering in. "Jack, mate, you're awake!"

"Bunny!" Jack cried. "I need my staff, please, get it for me."

Bunny hesitated, looking between Jack and North. "Well, you see mate…" Bunny trailed off.

"No no no," Jack said.

"What's going on?" Tooth asked, fluttering into the room. "Jack, you're awake!" Tooth fluttered over, flinging her arms around Jack and pulling him into a hug. "We were so worried about you, you've been asleep for so long, we thought you might not wake up."

"Might not wake up?" Jack asked, confused. "Why wouldn't I wake up? How long have I been out?"

"Three days, mate," Bunny said.

Sandman appeared in the doorway, a relieved smile appearing on his face as he noticed Jack was awake.

"Three days!" Jack squeaked.

"Aye," North said. "You had us mighty worried."

"But why?" Jack asked.

"Oh Jack," Tooth said, brushing a hand against his cool cheek. "It's your staff."

"Yes, where is it?" Jack asked. The pain in his chest from its loss was making it hard to breath and Jack was getting frustrated that the others wouldn't just tell him where it was so he could fix it.

The others all cast glances at each other worriedly, before Sandman left the room. Several moments passed in silence as Jack studied their faces. The only thing he could think was that they hadn't retrieved his staff, that it was now lost in the deserts of Pakistan, and that made the pain in his chest all the worse.

Finally, Sandman returned, and in his hands was what Jack had been asking for. Sandman held up the two pieces, a sad look on his face.

"It's broken, mate," Bunny said softly. "We couldn't fix it. We tried, but we couldn't."

Jack stared at his staff as relief flooded through him. They had retrieved it; it was here, with him.

"We are sorry Jack," North said.

Images flashed above Sandman's head, quicker than anyone but Jack could comprehend, but Jack wasn't paying attention. He reached out and took the two halves of his staff from Sandman's hands, holding them in his own.

"Oh Jack," Tooth said, still sitting beside the winter spirit on the bed. "We'll figure something out. Find you a new one. Or Manny can make you a new one."

"Make me a new one?" Jack asked, confused. _Why would the moon need to make me a new one?_ Jack thought. He didn't understand why all the Guardians looked so downcast. Why they all looked so worried. They had retrieved his staff, and Jack knew he was well on the way to mending as well.

In fact, he felt sure he would heal much faster once he fixed his staff.

"Or we could figure something else out," North said.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Because it's broken mate," Bunny explained, as if it was obvious.

"So?" Jack asked.

"So, you can't use it anymore," Bunny said.

Jack laughed. Now he understood why the others all looked so grim.

"Jack, are you okay?" Tooth asked, looking alarmed at Jack's laughter.

"You really think this is the first time I've broken my staff?" Jack asked.

"Well, uh," Bunny stumbled as the others all stood there, unsure what to say or do.

"Because it's not," Jack explained.

"Is not?" North asked.

Jack shook his head. He looked back down at his staff, and brought the two pieces together. The others leaned in, watching closely as Jack closed his eyes, concentrating.

But the voices of the other legends filled Jack's mind, intermingling with every other insult and ridicule that Jack had ever heard, including the words the other Guardians had spoken to him after the Easter fiasco two months ago.

_'Worthless.'_

_'We should have never trusted you!'_

_'You make a mess where ever you go.'_

_'You're no Guardian.'_

_'Nobody believes in you.'_

_'How many people have been hurt, injured, by you?'_

_'You're nothing but a mistake.'_

"Jack!"

Jack was startled from his thoughts by North's booming voice.

"Wha?" Jack asked; looking up to find the Guardians circled around him, looking worried.

"Are you alright, mate? You don't look too good."

"Why don't you lay down, you can fix this later," Tooth said, gently touching his staff.

Sandman looked worried, a question mark forming above his head.

Jack looked at each of them. They had had their differences, their disagreements and their fights. But they had also been through so much together. They had accepted Jack into their family; they cared for him, Jack could see it on their faces. Jack had been alone for so long, he wasn't sure what to do now that he had a family.

But he found it was what he had always wanted. The one thing Jack always dreamed of was a family, and now he had one with the other Guardians.

They had come to his rescue when the other legends had attacked him. They had rescued him, treated him, and watched over him while he recovered. Had even attempted to fix his broken staff.

And they believed in him, Jack could see it in their faces, in the way they watched him and talked with him. In the way they treated him.

Some of the words from that horrible day echoed back to Jack, words he had been unable to make out at the time, but now were crystal clear to him.

_"He's bloody proven he's a Guardian." _Bunny's voice_._

_"You're going to be alright, Jack, we're here." _Tooth_._

_"Jack protected the children, gave the children hope. He saved us all." _North_._

_Then the golden dream sand, covering Jack and pulling him into happy memories, peaceful times, painless dreams. _Sandman_._

They had all been there for Jack.

"Nah, I'm okay," Jack said, pushing away the lingering echoes of doubt. "I need to do this, it'll help."

And Jack closed his eyes once more, focusing on his staff as the echoes of his friends', his family's, words sounded in his mind.

He felt the familiar tugging of his powers swirling into the staff and opened his eyes as the white glow erupted from the break, spreading frost up and down the wooden shaft as the wood knitted itself together.

"There," Jack breathed, smiling in satisfaction as the glow died down and he held his staff, whole once more.

"Oh, Jack," Tooth said.

"Was amazing," North said, and Sandman nodded, clapping his hands.

"Not bad, mate," Bunny said.

"Yeah," Jack said. That had taken away the rest of Jack's energy and he felt the world growing black once more. He swayed where he sat before pitching forward.

Bunny yelped in shock before lunging forward and Jack felt strong, fur covered arms wrap around his chest before gently lowering him back onto the bed.

"We've got ya, mate," Bunny said. "It's okay."

"What happened?" Tooth's voice sounded frightened.

There was silence for a moment, before North spoke up. "You are saying fixing staff used up his energy?"

More silence.

"Then we let him sleep," North declared.

"Rest now, mate," Bunny said. "We won't let nothing happen to you."

"We're here Jack," Tooth said.

Golden dream sand tugged at Jack's consciousness, and he allowed himself to be pulled into sleep once more, content in the knowledge that his family would be there with him when he woke up.

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

_Whew, that was a hard chapter to write! But I like how it turned out. I didn't want to do another Pitch comes back and attacks Jack storyline, because while I'm a fan of them, I wanted this to be something different. I hope it turned out okay. I in no way want to make the other legends/spirits evil, it's just they were all a little jealous that Jack was chosen as a Guardian over any of them and this is how they reacted._

_I'm thinking about doing a companion piece to this one, told from the other Guardians' perspectives, but I'm not sure. I guess we'll see how I feel about it..._

_Last chapter coming up next! Thanks for reading!_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Alright! Here's the last chapter, finally! It's a little more choppy than the other ones, but I liked how it turned out so I'm not going to change anything about it. _

_I wanted to send a special shout out to all my reviewers! You guys made it possible for me to continue writing this, even when I got frustrated with it. I would just read your comments and go, _this is so worth it, keep writing,_ and BAM! a new chapter was done, so thank you!__  
_

_And thank you to all of you who have favorited, followed, and read this story! It's been a fun adventure and turned out much longer than I planned but has been worth it none the less. _

_I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed it! So, without further ado, on to the story!_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Rise of the Guardians..._

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

Jack had been a Guardian now for little over a year. Little over a year and Jack now viewed North, Sandy, Bunny, and Tooth as family. That's why he felt positively terrible about the situation they all now found themselves in.

It had started out as a fairly normal night; Jack had been flying beside Sandy, delivering a healthy dose of frost and snow to a small English town as Sandy spun dreams for the children of the world. They would occasionally pass a tooth fairy coming or going and would wave before carrying on their way.

But that all changed when they ran into Tommy Rawhead, or Bloody Bones as he was known to the children.

Tommy generally kept to the staircases in which he hid, although none of the Guardians knew what he did down there. Tonight, however, he seemed bent on wrecking havoc and getting revenge and he was obviously very well prepared.

Jack and Sandy put up quite a fight, but it was hard when you were battling against the bloody bones of children long since dead, and they soon found themselves overwhelmed.

"Why are you doing this, Tommy?" Jack shouted as he was forced into something that was little more than a cage, similar to the ones Pitch had trapped the tooth fairies in.

"I told you never to call me that! I'm Bloody Bones, not Tommy."

"That doesn't answer my question," Jack pointed out. He spun around, attempting to slip back out of the cage before Tommy could close it, but he felt weak and light headed suddenly.

The cage door closed behind him and Jack watched helplessly as Sandy was thrown into another cage, larger than his, and locked in. Sandy was still unconscious from a nasty whack to the head he had received during their fight.

"Like them?" Tommy asked, tapping the side of one of the cages. "I invented them myself. Took a long time of collecting fear, anger, loneliness, pain, and some other things, but here they are."

"What did you do to me?" Jack asked, sinking down as his head spun. He felt dry, parched, and suddenly swelteringly hot.

"It's the cages," Tommy said, voice pleasant. "They block the powers of immortals. No ice from you, not that you could use it without this," Tommy held up Jack's staff. Jack held his tongue at Tommy's mistake.

_Why does everyone think that my powers come from that stick?_ Jack wondered to himself. _Honestly. How much power could a stick really hold?_

"No sand from Sandman," Tommy continued, not being privy to Jack's thoughts. "And no powers from the others either, when they get here."

"The others?" Jack asked.

Tommy's mouth broke into a wide grin. "Wouldn't want you to get lonely now, would we?"

And with that, he left.

It didn't take much longer for the others to arrive, although not in the way that Jack was hoping. No, they arrived in generally the same condition as Jack and Sandy, meaning they had been captured. North and Bunny were both knocked out cold, but Tooth was awake and fighting still.

Tommy opened the cage that Sandy was in and directed the skeletons holding the others to toss them inside. The effects were just as immediate on Tooth as they had been on Jack, and she landed on her knees, wings fluttering uselessly.

Tommy studied them, and then made an announcement. "I will return when everyone has woken."

With that, he once again took his leave.

Tooth looked around and spotted Jack in the cage beside theirs. "Jack, oh Jack, are you okay? What's going on? What does he want? Why are you over there? Ugh, I feel awful, what has he done?"

"It's these cages," Jack said. He knew how Tooth felt, but there was nothing he could do for her, or anyone else. "He's somehow found a way to block us from using our powers."

"That's awful!" Tooth said. Her shrill exclamation woke Sandy, who started and looked around. He sat up, a questioning look on his face, but no sand appeared above his head.

"Sandy?" Jack asked, wishing he was with the others. "Are you alright?"

Sandy concentrated for a second, but nothing happened. His shoulders drooped and he shook his head sadly.

"Wha is going on?" North asked, startling awake and looking around. "Wha happened?"

"Ugh, my head feels like a cracked egg shell," Bunny moaned sitting up. "Where is that bloody bleeder? I'm gonna kill him."

Jack filled them in on what he knew, which wasn't much.

"Why would he want revenge on us?" Tooth asked.

"Cause he's a blooming psycho," Bunny muttered.

"Uh," Jack said. He had thought that the others had run into Tommy before, and so he would be after them all equally, but he suddenly realized that wasn't the case. Apparently he was the only one to have had the pleasure of meeting the cupboard under the stairs boogeyman.

"What is it Jack?" North asked.

"Well," Jack began.

"As touching as this is," Tommy interrupted, sweeping into the room that held them. "I feel as if I should explain this story."

Jack turned to glare at Tommy.

"You see, it happened about, oh, let's say, 200 years ago, does that sound right, Jack?" Jack nodded, eyes narrowing. "So, 200 years ago, I was minding my own business, when Jack here decided to attack me. Can you believe it? I was only doing what I was made to do, and here comes Frost, destroying my beautiful work."

"You were killing children," Jack hissed.

"Well, anyway," Tommy went on, waving a hand dismissively and ignoring what Jack said. "He attacked me, out of nowhere, and sent me back to my cupboard, too weak to do anything. Anything but plan. And I've been planning this for a long time. Of course, it's even better now that he's a Guardian and has the four of you. It will make my revenge all the sweeter."

"Revenge?" Bunny asked. "By what I hear, he did the right thing."

"From you're perspective," Tommy said. "But no matter. I will defeat the Guardians and surpass that uppity Pitch Black. I will be the most feared Boogeyman in the world!"

"And what do you plan on doing?" North asked.

Tommy grinned. "Why, destroy Jack Frost, of course."

"He's an immortal, mate, you can't destroy him," Bunny pointed out.

"Sure, he won't die," Tommy said. "But he can suffer." He held up Jack's staff. "As can you. But, I really have no quarrels with you, so I will make you a deal."

Jack sat frozen in his cage, separated from the others, and watched as Tommy approached his family. Slowly, Tommy slipped the staff into the cage with North and the others before backing away once more.

"What's the deal?" Bunny asked, picking up the staff.

Tommy smiled. "If you break that, I will let you go. As simple as that," he said.

Outrage shone on the four faces in the cage. "And if we be refusing?" North asked.

"Then you remain here," Tommy stated. "Indefinitely. Or, until you break the staff. I'm not picky."

Jack looked up and met his friends' faces. He offered a small nod to them, telling them to break it.

"And what happens to Jack?" North asked.

"Oh, he stays here," Tommy said. "With me. And the knowledge that you betrayed him. But what would that matter to you? You'll be free."

The others glanced at Jack once more and he nodded, urging them to break the staff. Once they were free they could come for him, and once he was free he could fix his staff.

"No," North said, folding his arms over his chest. "We refuse."

Tommy's face morphed into outrage before he schooled it back into a mask of calm. "Very well," he said. "But I will leave it with you, in case you change your mind."

Tommy swept from the room, the door slamming behind him.

"Just break it, guys," Jack said, turning to face them once more.

"Not gonna happen, mate," Bunny said, setting the staff aside carefully.

"But I can fix it, you know that," Jack said.

Sandy shook his head, arms crossed over his chest. They all looked exhausted, drained, and Jack knew he didn't look much better. He knew it was the cages sapping their strength, he just wondered how much longer they could last in them.

"Oh, for! Just break the thing so you all can get out of here, get me out of here, and let me fix it!" Jack shouted, although it came out rather raspy and he had no strength to even make a hand gesture while ranting.

"No," Tooth said. "We will just have to figure out another way."

"Then hand it over here and I'll break it," Jack said. The thought stressed him more than he was willing to admit. He didn't want his staff broken again, especially since it hadn't been very long since the last time he had broken it, and the second to last time was really only a little over a year ago.

Besides the fact that it _hurt_ when his staff broke, although Jack would never admit that. But yes, it _hurt_. It felt like someone was reaching in and pulling his heart from his chest and each time it happened it got worse. And the idea of his friends, his _family_ doing it, well, Jack wasn't sure he could handle it.

And each time he fixed it, it seemed to take more energy from him, more focus. The last time had knocked Jack out for another three days, which had put winter behind schedule, not that Jack really cared, he always did what he wanted, but still. Three days of recuperating after fixing his broken staff. It was the longest he had ever had to spend recuperating, and that included the time spent recovering after Pitch's attack and the adrenaline wore off.

So, truth be told, Jack didn't want his staff broken. But, if it meant getting his friends, his family, out of these awful cages, he would do it. He _had _to do it.

"No," North said firmly.

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"Because mate," Bunny said. "It's obvious breaking your staff isn't very fun for you, nor is fixing it as easy as you would like us to think. We'll figure something else out, but your staff stays in once piece."

The other three Guardians nodded at their youngest, who sat back, stunned. Sure, he viewed the others as his family, realized that he would do anything for them, but he hadn't thought they cared for him just as much.

Now he realized how wrong he was.

"But, what are we going to do then?" Jack asked.

"I'm thinking," North said, and he settled down on the floor of the cage beside the others.

Jack wasn't sure how long they sat, tossing ideas around about how to escape, but he knew it was quite a while, and the magic of the cages was draining each of them.

"That won't work either," Bunny said, shooting down yet another idea listlessly.

"I have nothing else, then," North said, looking defeated.

"Me either," Bunny sighed. Sandy shook his head and Tooth looked close to tears. Jack was wracking his brain, but he knew there was nothing else he could do. Without their powers, they couldn't do anything.

He bit his lip, before forcing down his apprehension. He could do this, for them, for his family.

"Hand me my staff," Jack said, reaching through the bars for it.

"No Jack," North said. "We won't break it."

"We don't want to hurt ya, mate," Bunny said.

"But there's no other way out," Jack said. "And, and, you won't be the ones hurting me, I'll be the one doing it."

"Jack," Tooth said. "That's just as bad."

"If not worse," Bunny muttered.

"Please," Jack said, looking at them, begging them. "Please. Let me do this for you. I'll be okay, I promise. Just, please let me do this. It's my fault we're here in the first place."

"Not true," North said. "You were just doing Guardian job, even before you were Guardian. Is all our fault."

"Still," Jack said. "We don't have another choice."

The others looked at each other. They knew they were out of options, they knew breaking Jack's staff was the only chance they had of getting out of there, but they couldn't do it. They couldn't betray Jack like that.

"Please," Jack whispered. "I can't be here anymore."

And that broken plea did it. It was obvious to the others that Jack was not handling being caged here well at all. Not only were the cages sapping their powers, but the heat was stifling to them, which meant it had to be unbearable to the winter spirit.

"Alright mate," Bunny said, picking up the staff. "Just, promise you'll be okay, right?"

"I promise," Jack said, although with how weak he felt, how drained, he wasn't sure if that was true. But if it got his family out of there, he would do it, even if it killed him.

Jack reached for his staff once more.

"Oh Jack," Tooth said. "We're not going to make you do it."

Jack was surprised at how well they seemed to understand his connection with the staff and the wind. Jack was prepared to break it, but he knew it would cost him dearly, because that staff represented a friendship that had lasted through his whole life. Jack was prepared to break it, but he knew that it would be like ripping out his own heart.

"We'll get you out mate, we promise," Bunny said, twirling the fragile wood in his paws. Sandy nodded in agreement.

"Alright," North said. "Let's get this done quickly, so we can all go home."

North took one end, Bunny held the other, and Tooth and Sandy stood to the side, eyes never leaving Jack's, who was watching in apprehension.

"One," North said.

"Two," Bunny counted.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a new voice interrupted and everyone looked up to see the last people they expected to see enter the room.

"Turkey?" Jack asked, amazement filling his eyes.

"Hey," Walter Turkey said, waving a hand. Jack looked beyond the turkey man to see Groundhog, May Flowers, Summer Heat, and even April Showers all standing there, looking worn out, slightly scratched up, but there.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked as smiles spread onto the faces of the other Guardians.

"Coming to help our fellow legends, of course," April said. She didn't meet Jack's eyes as she walked forward, a set of keys in hand, and unlocked Jack's cage.

"Thanks," Jack said, scrambling from the cage. The sudden rush of power back made him stumble, but a large, furry paw caught him.

"Careful there," Groundhog said, making sure Jack was steady on his feet before letting go.

The others helped the rest of the Guardians from their cage and Bunny walked over to Jack, handing him his staff back, still in one piece.

"Thanks," Jack said.

"Thank all of you!" North shouted, laughing. "We could not have done without you."

"But why did you help us?" Jack asked. "Not that I'm not grateful, it's just, last time we met wasn't on the best of terms."

"About that," Groundhog said. "We're sorry. Really sorry. We didn't realize how wrong we were."

"But," April said, still unable to look at Jack. "We realized how wrong we were, especially once we heard about Bloody Bones and what you did for the children all those years ago."

"And all the things you've done for the children over the years," Summer added.

"You were a Guardian long before they made it official," May said. "We just couldn't see it."

Jack didn't know what to say. He was stunned that these people were even here, let alone that they were apologizing to him and commending him for the few times he had saved children's lives.

"We're sorry, Jack," April said. "And if you can't forgive us, we understand. We just wanted to let you know."

Jack laughed. "Forgive you? I forgave you a long time ago," Jack said. He laughed some more at the stunned look on April's face, but soon everyone began laughing.

"Hahaha," North's laughter boomed, shaking the room they were in. "Is good to have friends, no? Let us go celebrate with big feast! Everyone invited."

"Yeah," Groundhog said. "And we should get out of here. Bloody Bones shouldn't be bothering anyone anytime soon, but it's probably better if we don't stick around his lair."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Bunny asked. He tapped his foot to the ground, and before anyone could say anything they were all falling into a large tunnel, Bunny hopping in behind them.

Jack laughed as he landed lightly on his feet at Santoff Claussen, the other legends spilling on the floor around him. He looked at them all as he held his staff in his hand, leaning on it, and realized one thing.

With friends like these, he may never have to fix his staff again.

~~RiseOfTheGuardians~~

_And there you have it. I couldn't leave the other legends being such meanies, so they made another appearance as the good guys! YAY! _

_So, I may be doing a companion piece to the fifth chapter, I still haven't decided quite yet, although I have already written half of it I'm not sure I like it, so we shall see._

_Hope you all enjoyed this story, it was fun!_

_Later!_


End file.
